Horizon Guides’ Hiking in the Caucasus is your one-stop-guide for advice on the best hiking routes in the Caucasus region, focusing on walks and treks in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
This guide gives expert advice from regional experts and travel writers on where, how and when to go hiking in the Caucasus, including choosing between organised and independent treks and when to travel.
In this guide:
Advice on choosing between hiking in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia
Information on how to choose between different types of trek
Essentials on what to pack for a trekking holiday in the Caucasus
How independent operators plan on creating a transcaucasian trail
Our Hiking in the Caucasus guide is designed to help you begin planning your hiking trip in the Caucasus. Too much information can sometimes be overwhelming, so we’ll give you a general overview and help you take the first steps towards how to book a trip.
Remarkably Georgia, no larger than Switzerland, ranks in the world's top twelve for geographical diversity. It contains the heart of the Caucasus mountains--larger and more dramatic than the Alps--subtropical wetlands, a Black Sea coast, semi-desert, all peppered with ancient stone towers and an exceptional history. Peter Nasmyth has now provided the first comprehensive walker's guide to Europe's most diverse landscape, including birds, flora and fauna. The book contains clear directions, excellent maps, GPS references, local history, contacts and a superb selection of color photographs. Mta Publications, Exclusive distribution by I.B.Tauris & Co. Ltd
Now that the former Soviet Union is open to Western walkers and climbers many are taking the opportunity to visit the fabled Caucasus, the highest mountains in Europe. British climbers knew the area a century ago and, unlike the Alps, the changes have been minimal. 62 walks are described. Some need simple climbing skills but most are straightforward. In addition two routes are described to the tops of Elbruz, the highest mountain in Europe. This is the first modern book of its kind by Russian authors. There are some very easy routes across the Main Range, following good, wide paths, but the fact is that the central part from the Klukhor to Mamisonsky passes cannot offer such a boon. It does not mean you have to climb to get over the Range, but you should not expect a comfortable path up to the saddle and you have to be ready for scree, grass and snow slopes. Not a big hardship, considering the reward in calm and seclusion, so rare nowadays.
With stories of 50 incredible hiking routes in 30 countries, from New Zealand to Peru, plus a further 150 suggestions, Lonely Planet’s Epic Hikes of the World will inspire a lifetime of adventure on foot. From one-day jaunts and urban trails to month-long thru-hikes, cultural rambles and mountain expeditions, each journey shares one defining feature: being truly epic. In this follow-up to Epic Bike Rides and Epic Drives, we share our adventures on the world’s best treks and trails. Epic Hikes is organised by continent, with each route brought to life by a first-person account, beautiful photographs and charming illustrated maps. Additionally, each hike includes trip planning advice on how to get there, where to stay, what to pack and where to eat, as well as recommendations for three similar hikes in other regions of the world. Hikes featured include: Africa & the Middle East: Cape Town’s Three Peaks (South Africa) Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) Camp to Camp in South Luangwa National Park (Zambia) Americas: Angel’s Landing, Zion National Park (USA) Skyline Trail, Jasper National Park (Canada) Concepción volcano hike (Nicaragua) Asia: 88 Sacred Temples of Shikoku Pilgrimage (Japan) Markha Valley (India) Gubeikou to Jinshanling on the Great Wall (China) Europe: Wordsworth’s Backyard: Dove Cottage and around Rydal and Grasmere (UK) Alpine Pass Route (Switzerland) Camino de Santiago (Spain) Oceania: Sydney’s Seven Bridges Walk (Australia) The Routeburn Track (New Zealand) Kokoda Track (Papua New Guinea) About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world’s number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we’ve printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You’ll also find our content online, on mobile, video and in 14 languages, 12 international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more. Important Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.
Kackar Mountains are part of the Pontic Alps, a glaciated, granite mountain range which hugs the south coast of the Black Sea, extending from the Caucasus towards Istanbul. This second edition of the guidebook and map describe over 30 days of trekking on eight major routes around the Kackar National Park. The guide includes comprehensive historical and cultural details of the area and describes 7 day-walks and 8 multi-day treks crossing the main range of the Pontic Alps and subsidiary ranges, with altitudes up to 3900m.
Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher Lonely Planet Georgia, Armenia & Azerbaijan is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Wander the historic winding lanes of Old Town, Georgia, slow down in Azerbaijan at an outdoor cafe, and take in the views at Armenia's mountaintop monasteries; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Georgia, Armenia & Azerbaijan and begin your journey now! Inside the Lonely Planet Georgia, Armenia & Azerbaijan Travel Guide: Colour maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, people, landscape, architecture, greetings, etiquette Over 52 colour maps Covers Georgia, Tbilisi, Abkhazia, Adjara, Great Cauasus, Kakheti, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Armenia, Terevan, Azerbaijan, Baku, Naxcivan, Nagorno-Karabakh and more. Authors: Written and researched by Lonely Planet. About Lonely Planet: Since 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel media company with guidebooks to every destination, an award-winning website, mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet covers must-see spots but also enables curious travellers to get off beaten paths to understand more of the culture of the places in which they find themselves. TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards winner in Favorite Travel Guide category for 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. Important Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.
At just over 100 miles long, and taking 7 to 10 days to complete, the Arctic Circle Trail crosses the largest ice-free patch of West Greenland. This splendid trekking route, lying 25-30 miles north of the Arctic Circle runs from Kangerlussuaq to Sisimiut (both of which have airport access). The trail traverses remote, empty, silent and stunningly scenic arctic tundra, and is mostly gently graded with just a few short, steep and rocky slopes. However, the landscape between the two towns of Kangerlussuaq and Sisimiut is extremely remote and those who choose to take on this route must be competely self-sufficient. The book includes plenty of practical information on what to take with you and when to go, as well as on safety, travel and accommodation. Fully illustrated with a variety of photographs and its route is highlighted on continuous trekking maps. The guide also includes an optional extension to the Greenlandic ice cap.
Tony Anderson set out in the summer of 1998 to walk through Georgia. He wanted particularly to visit the Georgian mountain tribes - Tush, Khevsurs, Ratchuelians and Svans - to discover if they shared a common mountain culture, and to test the old idea of the Caucasus as an impenetrable barrier from sea to sea. From Azerbaijan to Svaneti, Anderson found communities where the old customs and beliefs still triumphantly survive, despite years of Communist oppression and the terrible uncertainties since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Throughout his journey Anderson refers back to many other visits to Georgia, to the politics of independence, to the war in Abkhazia and Ossetia, to the civil war and Shevardnadze's accession to power, to the history of these people at one of the great crossroads of the world. It remains an abiding mystery that Georgia has managed to survive at all, devastated time and again by the vagabond hordes from the steppes and torn between the mighty empires that struggled over it. But survive it has with a vibrant culture still intact and, in the mountains, still deeply connected to its ancient ways.
